I’ve been very fortunate to have found Ed who has inevitably set the benchmark as my first triathlon coach. Communication is the foundation for any good relationship and Ed constantly worked on ensuring that I was giving feedback and adjusting my program, including changes around a very busy work and personal travel schedule. Ed, was instrumental in me achieving my targets for both my half and full triathlon. Glaxton, Mallorca 70.3 & Ironman Vitoria-Gasteiz (July, 2023)
Two years ago I had the dream of completing a full distance Triathlon (the Outlaw) which I achieved with Ed’s amazing coaching (that’s not saying it wasn’t tough going at times). I decided the next challenge would be to complete an Ultra so I contacted Ed and we joined forces to get it done. Yes, you guess it Ed’s planning, guidance and advice was priceless, from the week in week out training to race planning to nutrition strategy, achieve through calls or messages, the day went exactly as planned and I achieve the Ultra still running well through the finish. If you have a goal / dream that you don’t think you can achieve talk to Ed, he’ll be honest about the effort you’ll need to put in and will help you get there, the support and encouragement always being present. Tony, Wye Valley 50km Ultra (April, 2023)
Ed and I first sat down for a coffee in late August 2020 when I broached the subject of whether he fancied training a 47 year old man with chronic foot problems and very weak breaststroke to complete an Ironman triathlon!
Amazingly rather than laughing at me Ed seemed genuinely excited by the challenge.
Ed carried out a thorough injury history, available time for training and after meeting up at a local pool plus subsequent run and cycle assessments he devised a bespoke programme for me.
As the months went on we had regular video and face to face meetings, adjusting weekly plans depending on any last minute diary changes, niggles or injuries.
Six months after our first session I completed my first triathlon (a 70.3) and Ed made sure I was fully prepared with regards to equipment, managing transitions and event fuelling and after completing the event we had a full debrief looking at learning points for future training and the next event. At no point did I ever feel alone and my questions, however stupid, were always sympathetically answered.
Ed very much believes in the power of consistency in training along with the use of regular Yoga and Pilates and understands the impact of training and competing on different aged bodies!
So 28 months on from our first training session I have finished a number of 70.3 and full distance triathlons, our highlight being Patagonman in southern Chile in December 2022. An achievement beyond my wildest dreams thanks to Ed and InBalance Coaching. It has been truly life changing. Geoff, Patagonman Extreme Triathlon (December, 2022)
Four years ago I started working with Ed and he has taken me from beginner to racing at the top-end of age-group triathlon. Ed has coached me to 2 European age-group titles (2021 & 2022) and to overall British Standard Distance Champion (2022), a win I am most proud of given the calibre of athletes. Ed’s dedication, thoughtfulness and individual approach to coaching me has been fantastic and I’m incredibly grateful to him for getting me to where I am today. Aside from the training, Ed also provided a huge amount of emotional support, giving me confidence even when training or racing hadn’t gone exactly to plan. I thoroughly enjoyed the collaborative approach he takes to coaching, always ensuring the athlete provides input and is thoughtful about their training and end goals. I couldn’t recommend Ed more highly – we learnt and achieved an enormous amount working together and it’s been a fantastic journey! Francesca, European & Standard Distance Triathlon Champion (Sept, 2022)
From the first call with Ed saying we needed to get to know each other and make sure that we could work together, I knew Ed’s ethos was going to be a fit. Ed had more confidence in my ability than I did, but every test showed he was right and the B races showed impressive results. Ed got me to the Outlaw Full, no injuries or illness and worked with me on a pace and nutrition plans, practicing these in the months leading to the event. What can I say, the day went exactly as we’d planned, how often can you say that happens? Thank you, Ed, you made the dream achievable. Tony, Outlaw Full Distance Triathlon (2022)
Ed helped me train for my first ultra. The training was brilliant, bespoke and flexible to my requirements. Ed’s expertise was evident throughout and he was on hand the help me with any questions that came up. Overall, the experience was great fun and I’ve already signed Ed up to help me with the next race. Isabella, Run to the Sea Brighton 50km Ultra (2022)
Preparing for my first Ironman, my training lacked structure and focus, and I had tons of questions, that I needed an experienced coach to answer. I found Ed online and I’m so glad I did. He brought the focus, reassurance and planning I needed and was always on hand to answer questions or advise on niggling concerns.
His training plans were excellent and tailored to fit around my work schedule. I felt accountable to Ed, but not pressured if work or a personal event happened to get in the way of training.
I managed to get under my target time for Hamburg, and Ed’s support was an essential component of that. Neil (Ironman Hamburg) 2022
Ed has been a fantastic coach and helped me achieve my goal of running a sub 3 hour marathon in Paris. Ed built a training plan that fit well into my busy work schedule and along with regular catch ups, this kept me motivated and my training consistent despite the challenges that training in the Scottish Highlands in winter threw at me. Jake (Paris marathon) 2022
“Archie and I cycled on a tandem from Lands End to John O’Groats, covering 1000 miles. Ed was extremely helpful in preparing us for this challenge. He first of all questioned us on our current fitness levels, our goals and previous experience. With this he made a detailed tailored training programme. This included bike training, strength and conditioning exercises, and nutritional guidance. This meant that we were more than prepared for the challenge and could complete without injuring ourselves. He further was very easy to contact throughout the journey to answer any further queries that we had. We would highly recommend Ed to anyone looking to undertake an athletic challenge, and we would definitely use him again.” Ned, (Lands End to John O’Groats cycle) 2020
“I recently completed my 5th triathlon and in doing so qualified for the World Sprint Distance Triathlon Championships 2020 in Edmonton next August where I will be representing Great Britain for my age group (25-29). I am beyond happy to have qualified and could not have achieved this without Ed’s pure dedication and commitment to my training schedule since we started working together around 10 months ago. I am incredibly grateful to Ed for helping me to get to this stage and for all his time and effort in developing a personalised training programme. The thoughtfulness that has gone into developing my plan has helped me to avoid injury throughout the winter months and ensured I was at peak fitness for the start of the Tri season. I could not recommend a more talented, knowledgeable and thoughtful coach and think he is fantastic!” Francesca, GB Age Group Team, World Sprint Triathlon Championships (2019)
“Ed trained me to run the London Marathon earlier this year. Prior to my decision to sign up, I had very little experience of endurance running and was very nervous to say the least. Ed guided me through the whole experience with unwavering encouragement, knowledge and constant support. Using the app Training Peaks allowed us to be in regular communication about how training was going, and Ed was always at the end of the phone to give brilliant advice, no matter how big or small my worry was! And always with an overwhelmingly positive attitude and a smile! I have nothing but complete confidence in his tremendous ability to develop any athlete to reach their full potential.” Isabella, (London marathon) 2019
Footnote: Isabella came back to InBalance to get a structured training programme for her first off-road ultra (see above).